1849 | ![]() |
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1850 | Sep. After years of confrontations between slave states and free states of the North, the Compromise of 1850 is passed. |
1856 | ![]()
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1857 | ![]() Mar 6. The US Supreme Court decides a ruling that slaves are not protected by the US Constitution, the case is known as Dred Scott v. Sandford. |
1858 | ![]() |
1859 | Dec 2. Abolition leader John Brown, is hanged in Charles Town, West Virginia for treason and murder. |
1860 | ![]() Nov 6. Abraham Lincoln, a veteran of the Illinois militia, is elected as the sixteenth president of the United States.
* The United States slave population in 1860 numbered 3,950,174. Three million are in southern/slave states. |
1861 | ![]() Feb 4. The Confederacy is formally formed. Mar 11. The Confederate Constitution is passed and elects Jefferson Davis as president. |
1861 | Apr 12. The beginning of the American Civil War takes place at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Confederate troops captured the fort allowing Union troops to leave.
May 21. The Confederacy names Richmond, Virginia as their Capital. Nov. Lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is composed by Julia Ward Howe in Virginia during a review by Union General McClellan of the troops. |
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1862 | ![]() Mar-Jul. Peninsular Campaign: the Unions first large scale offensive in the Eastern theater commanded by George B. McClellan. The operation involved 121,500 men, 15,000 horses, 1,150 wagons, 44 artillery batteries and tons of supplies and equipment. May 8. A campaign through the Shenandoah Valley led by confederate Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson known as the Battle of McDowell resulted in a victory for the confederate side. Aug 17. Bands of Sioux engage the US troops concurrent with the Civil War. Because of violations by the US on treaties with the indians leading to hardships, the Dakota War of 1862 take place. Sep 17. Battle of Antietam. This battle was fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland and the Antietam Creek. It is considered the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War; there were 23,000 casualties from both sides. Sep 22. In the hopes of ending the war, President Lincoln makes an announcement that he would emancipate all slaves. |
![]() Dec 11-15. Battle of Fredericksburg. Fought in Fredericksburg, Virginia between the forces of General Robert E. Lee’s North Virginia Confederate Army and Major General Ambrose E. Burnside’s Union Army of the Potomac. There were 12,653 casualties with 1,284 killed on the Union side; the Confederate army suffered 5,377 casualties (608 killed). |
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1863 | ![]() Mar 3. There were difficulties in recruiting which led to President Lincoln passing the Enrollment Act requiring men between 20 to 45 years of age to be drafted. One could avoid service by finding a replacement or paying a fee. May-Jul. Siege of Vicksburg. Army of the Tennessee led by Ulysses S. Grant drives Lt. General John Pemberton and his confederate forces back to their defensive lines in Vicksburg, Virginia. Sep 19. The last of the Confederates win was the Battle of Chickamauga, fought in Georgia. General Braxton Bragg led the confederates while the Union was under the command of General William Rosecrans. |
1864 | ![]() May 5. Battle of the Wilderness. The battle pitted Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. This was literally a battle of wits, one general trying to outsmart the other. Casualty estimates reach 30,000 from both sides. Jun 20. Under Ulysses S Grant, Union forces engaged in a nine month trench warfare known as the Siege of Petersburg. This took place in Petersburg, Virginia. General Robert E Lee eventually yielded when supplies for his troops were cut by the Union using a thirty mile stretch of trenches. The siege ended in April 1965. Nov 8. Abraham Lincoln is re-elected. |
1865 | ![]() Feb 6. General Robert E Lee is named as General-in-chief of the Confederate army. Mar-Apr. Appomattox Campaign. Described as an array of battles in Virginia that were fought between the end of March 1865 and early April 1865. It is seen as the campaign that led to the eventual surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia and thus leading to the end of the civil war. Apr 14. Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater. Apr 15. Andrew Johnson is inaugurated as President. May 9. President Johnson officially ended the American Civil War. May 10. The Union capture Confederate president Jefferson Davis in Irwinsville, Georgia and is taken prisoner. Jun 30. Eight conspirators related to the assassination of President Lincoln stand trial. Four of them are executed by hanging for their role in the conspiracy. Those hanged were George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, and Mary Surratt. |